Rich Daly
About the Author
Rich Daly is senior editor, policy affairs with HFMA, based in Alabama. His healthcare policy and finance reporting experience includes staff writer positions with Modern Healthcare and Congressional Quarterly (both focused on healthcare regulatory and legislative developments); editor-in-chief of 340B Report (the only news outlet focused on daily policy, legal, and business developments in the 340B program); and serving as a content director for Sg2/Vizient Inc (producing reports on financial pain points and solutions for health systems). He previously covered daily news for HFMA and wrote features for Healthcare Financial Management magazine, where his recognitions included the Stephen Barr Award (the only individual achievement award) from the American Society of Business Publication Editors.
Latest Work
FastFinance: Charity screening; 340B lawsuit
HFMA’s FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Our main story: As states are increasingly requiring pre-screening patients for charity care, a recent industry outreach effort gauged hospital interest and approaches. Also, this week’s Weird Number: 500,000. That’s how…
Humata Health prepares providers for Medicare’s WISeR model launch
The CEO of one of the six vendors implementing Medicare’s new prior authorization (PA) program recently addressed provider concerns on its payment model, uncertainty of the approach of the AI used and challenges in submitting data. The six-state CMS Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) model, which launches Jan. 1, will require either PA or…
More hospitals adopt tech-driven screenings for charity care eligibility
Hospitals are increasingly implementing technology-driven screenings to automatically qualify patients for charity care, as recommended by the American Hospital Association, in order to reduce administrative burdens and ensure all eligible patients receive financial assistance.
Empowering frontline staff drives efficiency gains in Michigan hospital
A hospital in southeast Michigan was able to improve quality and efficiency while maintaining low commercial rates by empowering staff to identify and implement process improvements, which could be a model for other hospitals facing Medicaid cuts.
Health systems face margin cuts of up to 13 percentage points in next 5 years, McKinsey analysis shows
A combination of federal policy changes and industry trends could cut health systems' margins by up to 13 percentage points in the next five years, according to a McKinsey analysis.
States prioritize workforce initiatives in $25 billion rural grant proposals
All states have submitted applications for the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) grants, with the most common use of funds being for workforce initiatives, and CMS will allocate the funds based on specific spending approaches proposed by states in their applications.
Hospitals brace for Medicaid cuts, some resort to layoffs
Hospitals and health systems are responding to the OBBBA cuts by reducing staff and increasing revenue, while some are also pursuing mergers and acquisitions to improve efficiency and balance their budgets.
FastFinance: OPPS; hospital efficiency
HFMA’s FastFinance newsletter is now a podcast. Host Rich Daly discusses the most current and relevant healthcare news, delivered in an easily digestible format. Former hospital executives detail an approach that helped their organization improve quality while obtaining average commercial rates of 150% of Medicare. The former executives now offer other hospitals insights on their…
Rural hospitals face significant payment disparities compared to urban hospitals
Rural hospitals are reimbursed 20% less than urban hospitals, with the gap widening as hospitals become more rural, according to a new analysis of price transparency data from over 5,000 U.S. hospitals.
Colorado hospitals see decline in ED utilization, a rare trend amid national surge
Colorado hospitals saw a decrease in ED volumes in 2024, the first since 2020, due to decreased ED visits by the uninsured, while hospitals nationwide saw an increase in ED visits due to coverage uncertainties.